Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 3.3 - Chapter 17

The Spring Ingredient and Discussing Spring Prayer 

Eventually, I woke up from my peaceful slumber. I crawled out from under Dad’s cloak and stretched as hard as I could before spreading the cloak out on top of my bed. My attendants would have done this for me under normal circumstances, but I wanted to do it with my own two hands. I smoothed out the wrinkles with my palms, then carefully folded it. 

“Okay. Perfect.” 

Fran picked up the now-folded cloak, and together we headed to the dining room for breakfast. My attendants and the commoners couldn’t eat before us nobles, so here in the monastery, all the nobles—including the guard knights—gathered first. We naturally couldn’t act too casually when Ferdinand was here. 

By the time I arrived, everybody was awake and eagerly digging in. 

“Good morning, everyone.” 

“Good morning, Lady Rozemyne.” 

Brigitte and Damuel appeared to have just started, while Justus had clearly been forced awake by his attendants. Ferdinand, however, was already close to being done; he must have woken up considerably earlier than anyone else. 

“Hello, Rozemyne. I see you slept well.” 

“Indeed. I was very snug last night.” 

While Monika and Gil were preparing my meal, I had Fran call over Dad so that I could return his cloak. I had wanted to give it back myself, but the curse of nobility made me unable to do things like that. The most I could do was offer my thanks as Fran handed it to him. 

“Gunther, I shall return your cloak. It brought me much warmth over the night,” I said as Dad knelt before me. He looked up a little, then his light-brown eyes crinkled in a small, relieved smile. 

“I am glad to have been of assistance, Lady Rozemyne. From what I have heard, you will now be traveling to towns as part of Spring Prayer. Please take care of yourself.” 

“I thank you ever so much. You may tell the rest of your family that I wish them well, too.” 

“We are honored.” 

Our exchange was brief, but just having the opportunity to speak to him made my heart flush with an indescribable warmth. 

As I watched Dad leave and return to the group of soldiers, Brigitte narrowed her amethyst-colored eyes in thought. “You certainly seem close to that soldier, Lady Rozemyne,” she said aloud. 

She was the only noble out of all those present who didn’t know he was my real dad. Ferdinand and Damuel knew, of course, while Justus and Eckhart had both found out during their background check on me while I was Myne. 

I smiled and gave Brigitte the excuse that we had prepared ahead of time. “Gunther has a long history with the Gilberta Company, who I have been ordering hair sticks from since before my baptism. Effa and Tuuli, the two who always come to take my orders—do you remember them?” 

“I have seen them in your chambers several times before, yes. Tuuli was the little girl who helped take my measurements, I believe, and I understand that you request her services often.” 

I nodded. “Gunther is Tuuli’s father. He also works closely with the husband of Corinna, the woman making your dress. Prior to my baptism, Gunther would often serve as a guard when I went to the lower city on business related to the orphanage workshop, or when the orphans went into the forest to gather.” 

“I see,” Brigitte replied, returning an understanding nod. 

The cover story was designed to make sense to anyone informed enough to be suspicious, so I was glad to see it working so well. 

“Rozemyne, we shall be resting today, then leave for Spring Prayer tomorrow,” Ferdinand said upon finishing his meal. “I will come and see you later this afternoon. There is an important matter we must discuss.” 

At that, he headed back to his room. 

I promptly started on my own breakfast, aware that the Gilberta Company and the soldiers were due to depart for Ehrenfest very shortly. They needed to eat as soon as possible or they would certainly be late, so I worked my way through my food as quickly as I could while still maintaining a graceful appearance. 

Once breakfast was done, I returned to my room so as to not get in anyone else’s way. I sat in a chair and closed my eyes for a moment, only for the events of yesterday to flash through my mind once again. My mood plummeted in the literal blink of an eye. 

“Lady Rozemyne, the others have finished eating and are preparing to leave. Will you see them off?” Fran asked, snapping me back to my senses. 

I gave a nod and stood up, going with him to the front gate. There we found a row of carriages, almost all of which had been packed with luggage. There was only one that was still being prepared, with priests helping the soldiers to load the remaining things. 

“Is everything ready?” I asked the gathered members of the Gilberta Company, who had seemingly been discussing something among themselves. 

Benno took a step forward and knelt, then Mark and Lutz did the same. 

“Lady Rozemyne, the honorable Lord Ferdinand informed us that the matter in Hasse has been settled. We heard that you gave a praiseworthy performance.” 

“I could not have done it without the Gilberta Company’s assistance. You have helped me more than I could ever put into words. Thank you.” 

They frequently gave me advice, and their connections to other merchants had been vital in our efforts to spread rumors among the commoners; they regularly visited Hasse to keep us informed and manipulate things in our favor. 

“Because of your plan, those in Hasse had time to discuss matters over winter, and I am of the opinion that this proved crucial in obtaining the favorable result we secured yesterday. There surely would have been much stronger opposition to the mayor’s execution had they not understood their actions nor had the time to consider an appropriate response.” 

I was so far removed from the common sense of nobles that it was hard to believe I could have properly directed the scholars. I would surely learn more and more about how nobles did things in the future, but for now, I was completely ignorant. If not for Benno and Mark, a lot more people would have been executed. 

“I am glad to have been of service to you, Lady Rozemyne. This tragedy has shown the world that we are a company whom you trust, and henceforth, it shall be significantly easier for us to do business within Ehrenfest and Hasse. If you ever have need of us again, please do not hesitate to ask,” Benno intoned. I could guess that he was being sincere, but his last sentence was definitely an indirect demand that I contact him before doing anything stupid. 

I searched through my memories for anything that I should tell him about, then clapped my hands together in realization. “Ah, yes. There is one thing I wish to say. This won’t be happening immediately, but I would like to visit Illgner to search for new kinds of wood to use for paper. I will surely ask for your advice when the time comes,” I said casually. 

For some reason, Benno had a vacant expression. Mark was looking at the ground, and Lutz let out a heavy sigh. As I tilted my head in confusion, Benno looked at me with a smile. But his dark-red eyes told a different story; had we been in my hidden room, he would have no doubt unleashed his thunder on me right about now. 

“...Understood. I shall eagerly await your return from Spring Prayer, Lady Rozemyne, so that I might hear the finer details of this matter. We would like to thank you for providing us new contacts among the nobility and discuss the dress that you have hired Corinna to make,” Benno said with a polite laugh. 

But, despite his courteous tone, I knew this was just his roundabout way of saying: “Don’t give me extra work when a bunch of nobles are already calling for me day in and day out, you idiot!” 

I maintained a composed smile, but on the inside, I was in a panic. Noooo! Now I don’t want Spring Prayer to end! 

And so concluded my discussion with the Gilberta Company. While everyone got into their loaded carriages, I handed out the small silvers that Benno had prepared and given to Fran ahead of time. 

“I know the road from Hasse to Ehrenfest is not an easy one with these numbers, but I am entrusting the safety of Justus and the Gilberta Company to all of you.” 

“Understood.” 

“You can count on us.” 

The soldiers let slip eager grins as they looked at the money I had handed them. There had apparently been fierce competition back at the gate over who would go to Hasse for guard duty, and they all seemed satisfied with their pay. I always gave Dad a large silver instead of a small one, but I had heard he was using it to buy a round of drinks for everyone, so not much would be going home with him. And by “heard,” I mean Tuuli had told me in a letter—though her handwriting was very hard to decipher. 

Despite everyone being ready to go, there was one person who hadn’t gotten in a carriage yet. And who else would that be but Justus? 

“This truly is a shame. If only I could accompany you during Spring Prayer as well...” he said sadly. 

We were going our separate ways here since he needed to return the box of medals back to the castle as soon as possible, and since his own highbeast couldn’t carry it, he was traveling to the Noble’s Quarter by carriage. His attendants were going with him, too. 

Justus was the only noble leaving with the soldiers, but he was deliberately delaying his return for as long as possible, looking between Ferdinand and me with clear melancholy. 

Ferdinand let out an exasperated sigh, impatiently waving him into his carriage. “Spring Prayer is a religious event performed by priests. We have no need for a scholar now that the matter in Hasse has been settled. You even went as far as to steal work from the one in charge of the city to come here. Are you not satisfied yet?” 

“I am satisfied with what I saw in Hasse, but I wish to follow Lady Rozemyne wherever I can. It seems to me that there is hardly ever a dull moment with her.” 

“That is simply your imagination,” Ferdinand replied, now glaring at Justus. “Leave already. The others cannot depart until you do.” 

Having no other choice, Justus climbed into his carriage. And with that, they were off. One by one, the carriages slowly started to move, with the soldiers walking next to them as guards. Dad served as the rear guard for the group and was thus waiting at the back, so I used this opportunity to say one final goodbye. 

“Gunther, take care on the road.” 

“And you take care of your health, Lady Rozemyne,” Dad responded with a grin. 

By then, the final carriage had started to move. He followed after it, the cloak I had slept in last night swaying behind him, and once he had completely disappeared from sight, I returned to the monastery. 

It was quiet now that most of the people were gone. I started to rest after lunch, and eventually, Ferdinand arrived with Eckhart to talk. 

“The only attendant you need with you here is Fran. Have the rest leave the room.” 

“Very well. Everyone but Fran, I must ask you to leave,” I instructed. They all quickly did as asked, leaving him and my two guard knights. 

Fran poured tea for everyone, then stood by the firmly shut door. There was a long table here similar to the one in the High Bishop’s room, and Ferdinand and I sat on opposite sides such that we were facing each other. Eckhart was seated beside Ferdinand, while Damuel and Brigitte were standing behind me on either side. 

“First, I would like to discuss the ingredient that we shall acquire midway through Spring Prayer,” Ferdinand began. I sensed both of my guard knights stiffen up at those words, and I instinctively straightened my back; the room had gotten palpably tense. 

“Should I take your decision to discuss this with my knights present to mean that feybeasts are going to be involved again?” 

“Given that feybeasts tend to gather in mana-rich locations, we can assume that there will be a considerable number in the area. Justus has reported that we are likely to encounter talfrosch.” 

Ferdinand helpfully provided a name, and while I had no idea what kind of a feybeast that was, my knights seemingly did. A grimace flashed across Brigitte’s face, which led me to conclude that, whatever it was, it was particularly disliked by girls. 

Ngh. Please, let it be anything but a bug... 

“However, considering what occurred on the Night of Schutzaria, it would not be wise to underestimate what could happen on the Night of Flutrane. It is impossible to say whether we are going to be faced with feybeasts of great size or great number.” 

“In that case, shouldn’t we bring more guard knights with us? At the very least, we could have Cornelius accompany us, since he’s already assigned to me,” I suggested. 

While it was important to keep my potion-making a secret, Cornelius was family and someone who I trusted. 

But Ferdinand shook his head. “That is not an option. Cornelius is both a minor and an apprentice. He cannot be given work outside the city.” 

“I seem to recall him visiting Hasse with us when you constructed this monastery. Am I wrong?” I asked, thinking back to who rode whose highbeast on the way here. 

At that, Ferdinand and Eckhart both grimaced. 

“Rozemyne, those were abnormal circumstances,” Ferdinand explained. “None of us could have predicted that we were going to leave the city.” 

That was a reasonable response; not even I had intended for us to build the monastery in Hasse straight after lunch in the Italian restaurant. 

“So we won’t be able to bring any more guard knights with us...” I conceded. “Is everything really going to be okay?” 

“Fear not, Rozemyne. Most feybeasts pose no threat whatsoever to Lord Ferdinand,” Eckhart said reassuringly, openly placing his utmost faith in him. He even seemed excited to have the opportunity to serve as his guard knight. 

He probably wasn’t wrong that most things wouldn’t be an issue with Ferdinand around, so I decided to entrust all the security details to them and focus on the gathering itself. I took out my diptych, readied my stylus, and began asking questions. 

“Ferdinand, what kind of material is the spring ingredient?” 

“The nectar of a rairein, a flower said to be beloved by the goddess herself,” Ferdinand replied. 

We would be heading to a spring that became so rich with mana at this time of year that it was known as The Goddesses’ Bath. Flowers known as rairein bloomed there, and their nectar was this season’s ingredient. 

“The flower’s petals close during the night, and it slowly produces nectar, before eventually blooming at dawn. To prevent other mana from polluting the ingredient, one must gather it at that very moment. We shall thus be leaving at night and awaiting dawn with our guard kept high.” 

I wrote all that down into my diptych, then looked up at Ferdinand. “Have you ever been to this spring?” 

“No. I went gathering quite regularly while attending the Royal Academy, but since graduating and returning to Ehrenfest, I have not had such leisure,” Ferdinand explained. “I am familiar with violent, dangerous feybeasts that must be hunted by the Knight’s Order, but I am not particularly well informed on harmless feybeasts and all the materials available here. As a result, we are largely reliant on Justus’s information when it comes to gathering in Ehrenfest.” 

There was no doubting that Justus was an absolute weirdo, but he was truly knowledgeable about all manner of subjects. What’s more, since he readily went to gather materials himself, the information he provided could be trusted. 

“I shall prepare the tools you need for gathering and lend them to you again when the time comes.” 

“I thank you ever so much.” 

Once we had finished talking about the rairein nectar and Justus’s previous encounter with a talfrosch, Ferdinand ordered Fran and the guard knights to leave the room. 

“I now wish to be alone with Rozemyne so that I might discuss matters in Hasse. Everyone, clear the room.” 

“Yes, sir!” 

Fran poured us fresh cups of tea and then exited, with Damuel and Brigitte following close behind. Eckhart seemed to want to stay and continue doing his duty as a guard, but he too was forced to leave. 

Ferdinand sipped his freshly poured tea, set the cup down, and then looked at me steadily with his light-golden eyes. Us facing each other alone like this always meant the start of a lecture or some kind of scolding. 

I placed my hands on my lap and straightened my back. 

“Rozemyne, I would like you to tell me what you have learned from your experience with Hasse.” 

I closed my eyes for a moment, and images from yesterday immediately flashed through my mind. When I opened them again, I clenched my fists, looking at Ferdinand head-on and doing my best to not get emotional. 

“...First, I’m now painfully aware that I need to fully grasp noble culture as soon as possible.” 

The problem in Hasse had stemmed from my ignorance in three crucial areas: the cultural importance of ivory buildings, the contrast in what commoners and nobles deemed common sense, and the hospitality that nobles were supposed to be given. In order to prevent something similar from happening again, I needed to master noble culture as soon as I could. 

“Correct. Were you a normal noble child, you could slowly learn about our culture and customs beneath the protection of your parents. But in order to run your workshop and spread printing throughout the duchy, you have already leapt into the world of adults.” 

There was a lot that I needed to learn, and I needed to do it as quickly as possible, since I was doing things no other child would ever do. I was no longer a commoner; I needed guidance not as a merchant, but as a noble. 

“Nobles will be unmoved by the logic of a commoner merchant. All you have done so far is establish an orphanage and a workshop in Hasse. You acted on impulse without preparation, and the only reason it ended without any major incident was because the enemies you made were commoners living within the archduke’s Central District.” 

“As far as I’m concerned, this was a major incident,” I protested impetuously. What would you call an execution that had resulted in six deaths if not a major incident? 

Ferdinand let out a dismissive laugh. “That happened because of your insistence on saving Hasse and keeping it on the map. Under normal circumstances, the entire city would have been erased, saving much time and leaving fewer problematic loose ends.” 

“What...? No way. That would definitely cause more problems.” 

“Another disagreement born from our different values, I see. To me, it was much more time-consuming and tedious to save Hasse than to destroy it.” 

The point we disagreed on most was the value of a human life. The gap between commoners and the nobility was just unfathomably vast. 

I slowly shook my head. “I understand that my culture doesn’t mesh well with this world, but I will never get used to taking the lives of others so easily.” 

“...You do have a commoner family, I suppose. It will be tough for you to fully adopt a noble’s way of thinking, but do your best to absorb as much as you can.” 

I didn’t mind working to learn something when I had willing teachers there to explain it to me, but there was a big difference between understanding something and believing it. My mindset would be firmly rooted in my Urano upbringing no matter what happened, so overwriting it completely would be almost impossible. 

“I can master day-to-day culture by watching others and copying what I see, but changing the very way I think about things is another matter entirely. There’s a fundamental part of me that makes my thought process unlike everyone else’s in this world, but I don’t know how out of place I really am. It won’t be easy for me to force myself to become like a regular noble.” 

“Regardless, if you intend to continue spreading the printing industry as the archduke’s adopted daughter, you are inevitably going to be dealing with nobles. If you do not grasp the culture, then problems will occur with consequences far more severe than what you saw in Hasse. Not everything can be solved solely by relying on the archduke’s authority.” 

The incident in Hasse had seriously blown up in my face, and that was just a problem with commoners. Doing something that attracted the ire of nobles would lead to something even worse, so I needed to proceed carefully, making sure to consider every action I took. 

“I need to start using indirect euphemisms so that I can’t be held to my exact words, and I need to advance things carefully so that no unexpected problems occur. Does that mean I need to work on my impatience before anything else?” I asked. 

Ferdinand grinned and gave me a nod; I had given him the exact answer he wanted. “I cannot empathize whatsoever with your lust for books and the blindness they instill in you, but I do understand that you desire them above all else. It is important that you understand there are likely no others who value books as much as you do; if you wish to spread the printing industry, you will need to learn patience and cease forcing things ahead at an unnatural pace.” 

In other words, he was telling me not to spread the industry any further until the people wanted it. Perhaps it would be best for me to focus on business and the improvement of printing technology while operating my current workshops at maximum capacity. 

“In that case, I will slow my expansion to a gentle pace that won’t invite any opposition, and use that time to improve paper and the overall literacy rate,” I replied. 

Once I no longer needed to dedicate my energy to educating the noble children, I wanted to improve the education of commoners as well. That would mean more customers for my books. 

But my grand plan was halted almost immediately by Ferdinand, who frustratedly raised a hand. “Stop. What exactly are you talking about?” 

“Hm? I’m just thinking about working on the quality before quantity.” 

“And I thought you were finally beginning to understand... Where is all this coming from?” Ferdinand asked, now cradling his head. 

Weird. Why is he reacting like that? 

“Um, well... if you thought I was finally beginning to understand a moment ago, let’s rewind the conversation back to what happened in Hasse. This time, I don’t intend to underestimate the cultural dissimilarities between commoners and nobles. In particular, I think it’s important to teach mayors and town chiefs exactly how nobles think.” 

“To what end?” Ferdinand asked, not comprehending why this was necessary. But it seemed clear to me that commoners in a position where they needed to deal with nobles would benefit from learning their culture. 

“Hasse’s mayor ultimately ordered the attack because he was convinced that any transgressions would be forgiven so long as he offered money, women, and wine to whichever priest or noble took issue with him. Due to the influence that Bezewanst had on the Central District while he was alive, I am certain that other mayors hold the same misconception. It would be better to teach them now that their bribes are no longer acceptable.” 

Ferdinand responded with a blatant grimace. “You intend for me to explain these simple matters to every single mayor?” 

“Well, I’m just a little kid on the outside. The adults don’t invite me to their nighttime discussions.” 

Not only were there no opportunities for me to speak to them, but I wasn’t sure how seriously they would take the advice of a kid. Meanwhile, you only had to take a look at Ferdinand to know that he was a serious man who wouldn’t joke around; one word from him and they would no doubt carve his warnings deep into their hearts. 

But sadly, Ferdinand shook his head. “Is it not obvious to them that people must be accommodated differently? Why must I waste my time educating fools so helpless they would lead themselves to their own demise?” 

“...All you’d need to do is speak to them for a little while when we pass through their cities during Spring Prayer and the Harvest Festival. I think you’ll find it much more tedious and time-consuming to run around inviting problems, destroying cities, and executing people than to take some time to educate them.” 

Ferdinand drummed his fingers on the table. “I see. You do have a point. If you insist on educating them, I shall permit you to do it yourself. We will not be spending the night at every city, however, so that will not provide the full coverage that you seek. Instead, as the High Bishop, you will need to discuss this with them prior to performing your Spring Prayer duties. Do not attempt to push this tedious busywork onto me.” 

“...Fiiine.”

The next day, at both winter mansions we visited for Spring Prayer, I faced the mayor and town chiefs who came to greet me and explained what had happened in Hasse. I made sure to put up my saint facade and frame my concerns as worry for their safety, saying things like: “I am certain nobody here would do something similar, but I worry how far the former High Bishop’s influence may have spread.” 

Given the number of mayors who began to avert their gaze midway through my explanation, I could guess that my efforts had saved us at least a little trouble.